Beverages need to fit in with consumers busy lifestyles

In 2018 Dunkin’ Donuts’ shed its last name to be known just as Dunkin’. The decision to drop ‘donuts’ from its name came in order to focus more on convenience beverages. Dunkin’s most valuable products according to 2017 consumer demand, were hot coffees, out-of-home drinks, and iced coffees, instead of their core baked goods range.

The shift in focus for Dunkin’ demonstrates a consumer market that is increasingly on the go and requires beverages that fit in with their busy lifestyles. Therefore, targeting morning rush hour periods where consumers want to grab a quick beverage is the opportunity that Dunkin is aiming to focus more on.

This decision is supported by research from GlobalData, which reveals that consumers’ preference for Coffee & Tea shops has not diminished with 42% of global consumers stating they visited the channel in the past week. For Dunkin’s key markets, this percentage stood at 40% of consumers in North America, and 39% of consumers in Latin America.

GlobalData’s report ‘Top Trends in Hot Drinks 2018 – The latest trends in hot coffee, hot tea, and other hot drinks’, unveils what convenience means to consumers in terms of drink products. 48% of global consumers valued quick preparation, 22% of the same consumers mentioned how portable the product is and 36% said how quick to eat or drink the product is.

Consumers want hot drinks to cater to various desires, such as quality, convenience, excitement, or specific needs including lifestyles or health. They are seeking more exciting hot drink flavors or varieties, and do not want to customize on quality and taste, even for products that offer easy preparation. Also, as many consumers (globally 64%) consume hot drinks on a regular basis, they want them to be healthy and functional, as well as suiting their lifestyles. Hot drink producers need to keep up with changing consumer trends to develop cutting-edge innovations to beat the competition.

The report also reveals that:

Consumers are growing tired of existing beverage categories. They are seeking more exciting flavors and varieties.

Health can be one of great interests among consumers, yet they do not want to compromise the taste for health benefits.

With expanding consumer lifestyles and the rise of new diets (e.g. vegan), hot drink producers need to keep up with the changes.

“Top Trends in Hot Drinks 2018”, is part of GlobalData’s Top Trends series. It examines the key consumer behaviors which are shaping preferences within this space, and subsequently how this is translating into innovation and future opportunities.